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Since they were given the day to rest, Annie spent the remaining of the morning inside their tent. But, when the sun is starting to sink into the blanket of the mountain, she decided to head out.
Distant voices and echoes of wood burning reached her ears. She looked over her shoulder only to be greeted by the rest of the alliance, minus the certain captain sitting in a circle around the dancing fire. Ever since the Rumbling stops, she had distanced herself from them; a small nod from here and there, a series of one-sided greetings from them, and a grunt and a roll of the eyes now and then.
They didn't see her, not from her distance. So, she continues her walk till her feet found solace in the familiar chill of the river. Annie's eyes begin their journey to the serenity of the river in the middle of the desert, till her eyes landed on the rock that has been sitting prettily and perfectly. And then, she climbs.
A wind passed right through her, engulfing her in a familiar embrace. She closes her eyes and lets the coldness of the early evening kiss her face. There's something about the way its hold on her face light a flame in her heart, but at the same time, not enough to set it on complete fire. Just a taste. Just a touch. Not enough to burn, but enough to keep her moving.
A shiver kisses her spine before the tears from the sky do to her face. The rain started to pour, colliding with the rocks and the surface of the water; the melody of the gloomy dawn squeezes her heart, fondly. True, her eyelids remain closed as her face turned upright to welcome the kiss of the evening tears.
Out of the blue, the tickling drizzles stops kissing her face; leaving her longing for more. Vapid eyes opens in defeat only to be greeted by those familiar blue that seemed to shine almost immediately when their gaze collides. A hitch in her breath materializes in the thick air.
Armin.
He was standing behind her– no, shielding her from the attacks of the rain. His body arched forward like a leaf towards her, effectively cutting those droplets from tickling her face more. She doesn't need to squint her eyes to make out his face, his expression, and his eyes. He whispers her name, like an unspoken prayer, twice or more than thrice. But, she can't hear him from how loud the beating in her ear echoes throughout her head.
He leans forward, even more. The very act almost made her physically wince, but only a small gasp leaves her mouth.
"What are you doing?" she whispers.
She doesn't hear him answer, instead putting a warm towel around her. She was immediately buried in a comfortable heat that it reaches her cheeks and burns her ears. Busy hands make sure she's safely and warmly tucked in. A worn-out hat was placed on her head, giving her some kind of comfort and warmth that she almost closes her eyes.
Armin moved away from behind her and sits on an empty space at her side, before opening a blue umbrella that sheltered them from the harsh downpour.
They sat there, in complete silence; the calming and therapeutic sound of the rain kissing the ground and the water that pats her nerves but not enough to soothe her warming face. She steal a glance from the man beside her and wondered in silence how on earth he never fails to give her that kind of warmth; heat engulfing her entire face at the thought.
But, Armin's face mirrors her own. If not, worse; the entirety of his face seemed to be burning. Angry red and peach painting his cheeks, the smooth road on his neck, and his ears that's hiding to the confines of his hair. Kind eyes boring holes into the rocks beneath.
"You've got a nice spot," she looked away when he speaks. In her peripheral vision, Armin's head faces her. "It's so you."
At that, she gave him a pointed look. "Huh?" she blinked at his face turning into several shades of red despite the dimming light from the sun taking its deserve rest.
What does he mean by 'it is so you'? Her eyes wandered around the view. A lone river in the middle of the deserted land. Its waters reach towards the resting sun; sprinkling its face with splashes of candle-like light. But, not enough to hide the very fact that the river is lonely. Almost deprived of life, if you'll see. And that made Annie physically wince.
She tears her gaze away from the river and looks straight into his eyes.
"Look," she followed his line of sight. "It's breathtaking."
The sun, almost hiding from the still waves of the mountains, never failed to grace the river with its shine; as the rain starts to calm down, the view of the river with orange, red, and pink painting its surface burns her eyes. Like a torch in the middle of the sequestered place, every bit of light reflects the surface only to form a distorted image of gloom.
But, the sight is nothing but, indeed, breathtaking.
With a nudge on her shoulder, Armin leans a little too close. His body heat adds a layer of comfort. Annie's heart hammered and its aches reached her head; clouding her mind and blurring her eyes.
"I love the ocean, but there is something about the river that'll never fail to amaze me."
She stares at him, "What does it have to do with what you said earlier?"
"You see," her face burns when he whispers. "I've always known that there's an ocean sitting outside the walls. The number one evidence of that fact is the river."
She squints her eyes at him and was rewarded with a shy smile, the redness on his cheeks never leaves. Still, Annie doesn't understand the connection of that with the words 'it is so you'.
"For me, a river is the reminder that there's an ocean."
He stared at her, yet again. Annie thinks his eyes never left hers for a moment. Why does it hurt when he's looking at her like that? Her heart clenches and she almost physically wants to touch it and hold it dearly to stop the ache. His eyes held something that she wanted to touch but can't physically do so. So close, yet unreachable.
His words echo through the deepest corners of her mind.
A river. An ocean.
A wind breaks something from forming that neither of them can comprehend. She watched as his eyes travels at her cheeks, her nose, but not her lips. Just like what she did to him earlier. She's sure her face is on fire as Armin feigned a cough and nervously smile at her.
"What do you mean?"
There's a pregnant pause before Armin's other hand almost instinctively drapes at her shoulder when her makeshift blanket falls a little. His hand finds its way to her other shoulder; Annie tried her hardest to breathe evenly when his hand cups her shoulder blades through the layer of towel and gently push her to himself.
"I-Is it okay?" she heard him ask. A nod follows along the way. "What do I mean? I just like to think that since a river flows continuously, a thought pops up out of my head that maybe... There's a larger body of water being the source."
She snorts and unconsciously rests her head against his shoulder. But, as soon as the action sank into her head, as quickly as it came, she removes her head from the comfortable nest of his shoulder. However, a hand gently cups the side of her head, and slowly and gently places it back. Securely and surely.
"My young heart longs for the ocean, for the stories from the book my grandfather gave me, and for the hope that it's all true," his voice died down, a weight on her head giving a sense of serenity. "Every time I'll lose a glimpse of hope, I'll always find myself sitting and watching how the river flows."
The hand that's cupping the side of her head starts its journey to remove the hat; he placed it on his head instead as he returns his hand on her head, now gently placing some stubborn hair along the way to rest it on behind her ears. The action ignites a familiar fire in her chest, but instead of frantically trying to die it down, she embraces the heat. It spreads throughout her chest, caressing her neck, and holds her face.
"It never failed to remind me that there is hope." his voice danced together with the drums of the rain.
They stayed like that for a little while. Comfortable silence was drowned with the choir of the evening storm. Armin's hand on her head almost lulled him to sleep, if it weren't for the rain, she's sure she's fine sleeping on this very rock.
"Thank you," she let the unspoken words slip from her quivering lips.
His hand momentarily stops its dance on her head and a whine nearly escapes from the back of her throat.
"You must have been a patient man. Watching the river flows like that, knowing it'll never stop," she teases, her voice groggy with a hint of amusement.
The motion on her head that calms her waves stops. Her eyes droop as she welcomes the warmth in his arms as he cradles her head and brings her closer to his chest; followed by a series of melodic laughs reverberating through his chest. Annie's eyes burn as the heat emitting from him reaches her heart and goes up all the way to kiss her face.
"You, out of all people, should have known that that's a fact, Annie."
Oh, boy.
She planted her ears right at his chest, where his heart beats fondly. Annie closes her eyes as his unique scent takes over her senses, together with the raging beats of his heart. The scent of him. He smells like hope.
"Heh. Give me some of that patience, then?"
"You possess that virtue already. If not, my face would have been planted to this rock ages ago," Annie almost lost it as his voice raises an octave as he tries to humor her. Another wave of warmth spread throughout her chest as he rubs his chin, affectionately, against the crown of her head.
She snorts, "Only, if you'd ask."
"Oh. I believe, at some point during our cadet days, I've had the courage to ask you politely, tho."
Her head snapped as she levels their eyes. Blue against blue. Yet, his hand remained. Another heat kisses her cheeks at the realization. But, not as red as Armin's.
"I guess, you did. But, If I have remembered correctly, you're asking me to train you– not to knock you out," she said pointedly. "And you were adamant."
Annie tried her best not to grin and remained unbothered when Armin's face starts to look like a ripe tomato. He looked away from her and instead busy himself searching the river like the answer was there.
"I... I did. Well," his eyes found her as he stutters from his words. "I really admire you, Annie. Your f-fighting style, I mean! The way you easily flipped down twice your size is something so incredible to me!"
Now, it's her turn to look away. Why does he need to say that?
"Don't test my patience now, Arlert."
"Never! Tho, I might have to test my luck?"
Luck? Her curious face must've lit something in his pretty head as a warm smile painted his lips.
"You want me to train you?" she tilts her head lightly to the side. Armin tilted his head to the other side.
"Only if you want to," he offered. Eyes lighting with hope and gleaming with optimism.
The weeping sky is now long forgotten as they stare at the window to their souls. Annie can't quite understand why being near Armin always stirs something deep within her chest. Annie couldn't explain it, but it was as though Armin had the power to tug on something deep within her, a force that was becoming increasingly difficult to resist. The warmth that emanates from her chest is both pleasant and painful, tugging at her emotions in a way that she struggles to comprehend.
Her hair was no longer tied up, and as it whipped around in the wind, it seemed to be engaged in a fierce battle. Strands of platinum blonde hair tangled together and formed a barrier over her face, obscuring her vision. Only one eye managed to peek out from behind the stubborn strands, struggling to keep watch as the wind continued to rage on.
With one hand, she gathered up all of her hair, trying to control the unruly strands. In her focus, she didn't notice the lone tear that rolled down Armin's cheek, slipping away from his eye unnoticed. Despite his attempt to conceal it, the tear betrayed the emotions that he was trying to suppress. Perhaps it was the way she was wrestling with her hair, or maybe it was something else entirely, but something had moved Armin to the brink of tears. However, Annie remained oblivious to his emotional state, lost in her struggles with her hair.
Annie's body went still with comfort as Armin stepped in and took control of her hair, pulling it away from her face. She relaxed into his touch, feeling a sense of ease wash over her as he expertly tended to her hair.
"Annie," her eyes set a flame when her name rolled off of his lips with such great gentleness and admiration. The ache in her chest seems to double, and she had to take a deep breath.
The man sitting before her begins to speak, only to quickly close his mouth without uttering a word. However, before he has a chance to voice his unspoken concern, a sound breaks through the quiet field, cutting through the air that is filled with tiny droplets of water.
That's her father.
"Thank you," she whispers above the wind. A smile found its way to his lips, and Annie mirrored it with her own.
"Thank you, Annie."
As they rise from the uncomfortable rock, Armin's hands remain securely placed on the small of her back, ensuring she stays steady on her feet. Annie's knees almost buckle, having spent an extended period sitting in the same position.
"I'll see you tomorrow," he said, a warm smile never leaving his face.